


Breaking The Silence

by innersanctuaries



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt, M/M, Protective Sam Winchester, Season 13 Episode 13 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2018-03-05
Packaged: 2019-03-27 07:02:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13875651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/innersanctuaries/pseuds/innersanctuaries
Summary: All shackles are able to be broken, even silence.





	Breaking The Silence

**Author's Note:**

> First off: This is me pretending that episode 14 didn't happen and starting off IMMEDIATELY after episode 13, so sue me. What's my reasoning, you ask? This was supposed to be finished and posted last Monday before the new episode dropped, but life happened and now we're here. 
> 
> Second off: Guess who's not working on their Sabriel Big Bang fic? That's completely right! It's me!! Oh well, I have this and one more short WIP and I'm off to work entirely on that or I'll end up not being able to finish :(
> 
> Song inspo is To Build A Home by Cinematic Orchestra 
> 
> (https://youtu.be/wehuxiAyWT0)

“...Mr. Ketch, meet the archangel Gabriel.”

 

 There was no time for surprise, not when everything all too literally exploded into action.

 

“Ketch, MOVE!” Dean bellowed as a shot rang out, a bullet burying itself deep in Asmodeus’ back.

 

 The demon had no time to react before he was doused in holy oil, a match lighting him up like a christmas tree. From afar, he would have looked like a pretty little bonfire, but up close? He was a screaming, flaming mess, rooted in place and unable to leave his vessel.

 

 Castiel picked up a pipe and swung at Asmodeus, knocking him on his ass and leaving him writhing on the floor. Grabbing Dean by the arm, Sam shoved Ketch in the direction of Asmodeus’ safe.

 

 “Get the blade, _now!”_

 

 Nodding, he was gone in a flash, Cas going with him to help. Wordlessly, he and Dean ran for the cell door. Without even having touched it, they could _see_ the metal shuddering every few seconds. If the screams in the background had been silenced, Sam was sure he’d be able to hear the thudding of someone throwing themselves against it.

 

 “Dean, pull on three,” Sam said.

 

“Fuck that, the guy’s got the right idea. Make like a battering ram and _go_.”

 

 He didn’t wait for Sam’s approval, instead running full speed ahead into a solid steel door. The pained grunt and the grimace that followed told Sam how well it had turned out.

 

“Okay, push on three,” Dean groaned, rubbing his shoulder.

 

 “Dean, it’s a _pull_ door.”

 

“Oh,” He glared at Sam. “Stop laughing at me and pull the damn door.”

 

“Winchesters, we need some help over here!” Ketch called from across the room. Dean looked over at Sam helplessly, unsure of where to go.

 

 “Go help them, I can try to pick the lock.” Dean nodded and sprinted over to the others.

 

 With that, Sam was left frantically trying to pick the old and rusty lock that refused to cooperate. It didn’t help that whoever was inside was _still_ throwing themselves up against the door. Sam stopped for a second to look in through the peephole, immediately jumping back in surprise when a hand poked through it, the person inside grasping onto the edge of the metal slot to pull themselves up. All too familiar eyes appeared, the flames in the background lighting up the golden irises.

 

 “Holy shit,” Sam breathed, walking back over to the cell. “Gabriel?”

 

 When Gabriel caught sight of him, his only response was a relieved whine. Sam could wonder why he didn’t give a verbal response later, at that moment he was a little busy trying to figure out how to get Gabriel to safety.

 

 “Hey, you’re going to be okay. We’re- _I’m_ going to get you out,” Gabriel was holding onto the freezing metal for dear life, Sam could see blood seeping from his hands where the cell sliced into his fingers unforgivingly. “Do you know how to unlock the door from the outside? I have a lockpick, I just need you to tell me what the key looks like and I’ll be able to get you out.”

 

 Sam winced at the muffled yelp that came from the cell once Gabriel hopped down, the skin on the surface of his hands staying behind where they’d been not seconds ago, having been frozen to the metal. A pair of hands popped into view in the peephole, drawing the key in mid-air.

 

 “Alright, give me a little while and you’re free.” He got no response, the only noises around him being agonized screams and annoyed yells in the distance.

 

 Everything was going insane, leaving him shaky and unfocused. His hands trembling, he worked at the lock as quickly as he could. The lighting was too dim for his liking, the noises echoing through the room putting him on edge, but through that all, he was still able to hear the unmistakable _click_ of the door unlocking.

 

 “Got it!” Throwing the door open, Sam ran in and was met by Gabriel’s terrified face. He couldn’t help but to gasp, couldn’t tamp down the look of horror at the sight of the bloodied and bruised angel, his lips sewn shut. Carefully, he scooped Gabriel up in his arms, heart clenching when he buried his face in Sam’s chest and let out a pained whimper _(he was so light, so thin, almost as if his body was just as fragile as any other human’s)._ “Oh my god, what did he do to you?”

 

“Sam,” Dean shouted from outside the cell. “Get him out here, we have the blade!”

 

 Gabriel looked up at him, expression suddenly suspicious. Sam couldn’t blame him. After their history, he’d be wary in this situation too. “Hey, we need you to do us a favor. We need you to kill Asmodeus with your archangel blade, can you do that?”

 

 Eyes flashing gold, Sam could have sworn that Gabriel looked almost gleeful at the thought of that. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

 

 Walking out, he realized they’d gotten out just in time to watch Cas throw a bucket of holy water on the charred demon. A muffled sound of triumph bubbled up out of Gabriel, who threw himself out of Sam’s arms, making a beeline for the blade Dean was holding, _Gabriel’s_ blade.

 

“What the-” Dean squawked as the archangel blade was plucked from his hand, his sentence falling flat as he caught sight of Gabriel. Sam assumed he was going to get tired of people looking at him like he’d just come back from the dead _(which, he kind of did)_ really quickly, but the angel was completely focused on the wheezing Asmodeus.

 

 He looked pathetic. The pristine white suit he seemed to favor was a charred wreck, but was somehow still intact. In fact, his entire vessel looked just as bad, yet there he stood. Or sat. Gabriel, the small man that he was, seemingly towered over him. Calmly, he circled Asmodeus, gaze focused intently on him. The moment the demon made a move to get up, Gabriel made sure he was met with a kick to the face.

 

 So it went, Asmodeus spending a few seconds trying to recover, only for Gabriel to give him another reason to stay down. Sam thought that the calm rage in Gabriel’s eyes was far more terrifying than blind anger. All they could do was watch as Asmodeus was reduced to a cowering, bloody mess on the ground, not that any of them were complaining.

 

“Now you’re gonna kill me, huh? To get your _revenge?_ ” Asmodeus spit at him and sneered, obviously frustrated at Gabriel’s reaction _(or lack thereof)._ “Fine then. Do it. Be a coward and don’t bother givin’ me a fair fight.”

 

 Grabbing him by the collar, Gabriel picked Asmodeus up and dragged him back to the cell he’d been kept in. Sam followed, refusing to let Gabriel get hurt or killed so damn soon after they’d _(he’d)_ saved him.

 

 Sitting Asmodeus down in the cell, Gabriel pinned one of his hands down with his foot, stepping down until he heard bones snapping like twigs. The other, he simply reached down and broke the arm beyond repair. Hearing the demon scream only brought what could only be a smile to his face, and it struck fear even into Sam’s heart.

 

 In some sick sort of way, Sam thought it was a miracle that the needle and thread in Asmodeus’ pocket had managed to survive the holy fire. He knew what was going to happen before Asmodeus did, face contorted in pain. Turning, Gabriel met his gaze and motioned for Sam to close his eyes or look away.

 

 So he did. He did, and listened to the pained noises behind him. Sam knew what was happening, knew that he’d be looking at a demon with his mouth sewn shut once Gabriel finished. He’d never admit it, but the thought alone made Sam some twisted form of happy.

 

“How the hell have you managed to keep him still?” Ketch had come to the door, wincing at the sight in front of him as he spoke. Rummaging around in his pocket, Sam tossed him a bullet.

 

 “Demon trap bullets. Being a Prince of Hell doesn’t always mean you can’t be trapped.”

 

“So what was your plan, exactly? You idiots weren’t supposed to be down here in the first place. That could have gotten us all killed, and then where would we be? I heard from your mother that these didn’t do a thing to Ramiel.”

 

“The plan was to come down here and kill the bastard,” Dean piped up behind Ketch. “And it couldn’t hurt to try.”

 

“You wouldn’t happen to have the Colt or the First Blade on you, now would you? Or were you counting on accidentally finding a presumed dead archangel down here?”

 

 They’d all known it was a stupid plan, but hearing it that way made it sound even worse. “We didn’t have a plan.”

 

“You two-”

 

“How about we stop calling each other idiots and focus on the fact that there’s a deranged archangel in there toying with a Prince of Hell without breaking a sweat?” Dean snarked, motioning towards Gabriel. Curiosity getting the best of him, Sam turned back around to find Gabriel standing above Asmodeus, looking as if he were admiring his own handiwork.

 

 “Gabriel?” Sam called cautiously, getting his attention. “Do you want us to leave for a while?”

 

 Shaking his head, Gabriel crouched down and scanned Asmodeus from head to toe.

 

 _See you in the afterlife, you_ **_bastard_** _._

 

 Gabriel’s voice rang out loud and clear in everyone’s heads, pure fury making Sam’s head pound and blood run cold. It was surreal, seeing how well Gabriel was able to maneuver his blade, flipping it up and catching it mid-air, driving it into Asmodeus’ chest in one swift motion.

 The entire room held its breath as the demon’s light flickered orange and burned out, body finally still. In the quiet, Sam walked silently over to Gabriel as he slowly stood.

 

 “Gabe?”

 

 Gabriel turned his head to look at Sam, those golden eyes full of enough sadness and pain that a single glance at them broke Sam’s heart in two. With an exhausted sigh and no warning, Gabriel collapsed into Sam’s arms. Thanking every god there was that he’d been able to catch him, Sam scooped Gabriel up in his arms, cradling him.

 

“Wait,” Cas pushed Dean aside as Sam carried Gabriel out of the cell, holding him close. “Sam, let me see him.”

 

 He didn’t wait for Sam’s response, coming up close to inspect his brother. Cas inhaled sharply, a look of horror creeping onto his face.

 

“Oh, Gabriel…” Cas said softly. “What did he do to you?”

 

 “Dean, do you have the demon knife on you?” Sam asked, thankful when it was handed to him. “Alright, you’re going to have to hold him for a bit, Cas.”

 

“Why?”

 

 “I’m going to do something about his lips.”

 

 None of them were sure whether Gabriel was unconscious, exhausted, or had just given up. Sam desperately hoped it wasn’t the latter. All he knew was that he didn’t struggle when Sam carefully, oh so carefully cut each and every wretched thread sewn into his lips.   

 

 “You’re good, Gabe,” Sam nudged Gabriel, his lips now free. It had been decided that he was unconscious, and the lack of response other than a deep sigh only further confirmed it.  

 

“What do we do now?” Cas asked.

 

“I’m not sure about you four, but I am going to leave this unpleasant place and the only slightly less unpleasant company,” Ketch said, turning on his heel and walking stiffly towards the exit. “I’ll stay in contact in case I hear anything about Lucifer.”

 

“Can’t say I’m sad to see him go,” Dean huffed, the heavy door slamming in the distance. “But like Cas said, what now?”

 

 “We go home with one extra person,” Picking Gabriel up, Sam followed in Ketch’s footsteps and began walking out towards the car. “And we help him the way he’s helped us.”

 

“We kill him a hundred times?” Dean quipped, raising his hands defensively when Sam shot him a murderous glare. “Kidding, I’m kidding.”

 

 “No, we fix him up and let him know he’s welcome with us.”

 

“What if he’s not?”

 

 “He is.”

 

“Let me rephrase that,” Dean rolled his eyes. “What if I say hell no to a homicidal asshole living and fighting with us?”

 

 “Too bad, he died for us and just killed the last Prince of Hell for us. He’s coming with us,” Sam said shortly. “Also, he’s your boyfriend’s brother.”

 

 There was a sense of finality to what he said, all three of them felt it. Dean knew he’d fight for Gabriel to come with them, even if he didn’t know why at that moment. He also knew that Cas would probably kick his ass if he left Gabriel there. So he kept his mouth shut, even when Sam silently crawled into the backseat with Gabriel still in his arms. Instead, he got in the car and started driving home.

 

 It was dark out when Gabriel woke up, the car soundless minus the Metallica playing quietly enough for Dean to hear. Sam had just started drifting off, but the loud inhale and whimper snapped him back awake.

 

 “Gabe?” Sam said sleepily, getting another whine and a shiver in response. “Are you cold?”

 

“Yes,” Came the ragged whisper, sad and tired.

 

 Wiggling out of his flannel without jostling Gabriel too much proved to be harder than previously thought, but it was possible and ended with him draping it over the archangel. Wrapping him up in the flannel, Sam hugged Gabriel close and rubbed his back gently.

 

“You saved me,” Gabriel whispered, burying his face in Sam’s chest. Sam felt the tears soaking through his shirt as Gabriel quivered, choking back sobs. “Thank you, Sam.”

 

 “I’m going to keep you safe,” Sam pushed him back a bit in order to look at his face. Even red and puffy, Gabriel’s eyes still shone gold in the dark. “I promise that you’re safe with me, Gabriel.”

 

 His shoulders relaxed, and he let out a shuddering breath before looking back up at Sam. In that moment, he thought he’d never seen anything as beautiful as the look of peace and relief and pure _trust_ that replaced the agony on Gabriel’s face.

 

“I know.”

 

 Nodding, Sam pulled Gabriel back in, running his fingers through his hair as the angel lay on his chest. Within minutes, he was asleep. Looking out the window, Sam smiled to himself before laying a kiss on the top of Gabriel’s head and closing his eyes, chasing sleep. They were going home.

**Author's Note:**

> God, this is super out of the blue, but I made an instagram for my fanfictions! I'm so awful at using Ao3 and have no idea how to add photos and shit, so I said fuck it and made an insta instead. I'll be posting aesthetic photos to go along with most of my fics and updates of what's going on with my writing, so follow me @archangelica_angelica (or follow me on tumblr at innersanctuaries)
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed it! Please comment feedback, it helps keep me motivated and helps me know what you guys do and don't like!


End file.
